SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A new Sacramento County Grand Jury report found that late-night releases from the Sacramento Main Jail have declined since earlier investigations, but concluded that additional reforms are still needed to better protect people leaving custody and improve public safety. The report, titled “Slowly Sunsetting Main Jail Late-Night Releases: Progress Made, but the Midnight Door Remains Open,” outlines the current status of late-night jail releases and identifies additional steps to improve the system.
A late-night Main Jail release occurs at the intersection of Seventh and I streets in downtown Sacramento. It can pose many safety concerns for those who are released and the larger community. Inmates can be released for a variety of reasons, including bail, release on their own recognizance or transfer to another jail.
The jail operates and releases inmates 24 hours a day, but the report focuses on late-night releases between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. During this time, public and private transportation options may be limited or nonexistent. Food and shelter options may also be limited, and other physical safety threats can arise during these hours.
The 2017-18 Sacramento County Grand Jury released a report titled “Middle of the Night Jail Releases: Balancing Safety and Jail Processing Concerns,” which stated that there are about 136 daily releases, and of those, 50 releases, or 36%, occur between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., posing extensive risks for inmates.
A seven-month investigation showed a reduction in late-night jail releases, but other California jurisdictions have reduced them more effectively and successfully. This suggests that the Sacramento jail needs to implement additional reforms to minimize and potentially eliminate the number of late-night jail releases.
On Dec. 8, 2022, the Board of Supervisors approved a plan called the Jail Population Reduction Plan. This plan prioritized releasing inmates who posed no danger to the community during daytime hours. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office also issued a directive stating that inmates would not be released between midnight and 6 a.m. The Board of Supervisors established the Sacramento County Community Review Commission on May 4, 2021, to increase transparency, oversight and accountability of the Sheriff’s Office. These were all steps taken to reduce late-night jail releases and establish accountability. In a May 2023 report titled “Jail Releases,” an ad hoc committee of the Community Review Commission revealed that in 2022, the county released 27% of jail inmates between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. In total, this resulted in 565 late-night jail releases per month.
After the Grand Jury confirmed that the Sheriff’s Office had implemented the methods it had discussed, it found that since 2023 there has been a reduction in the overall number of late-night releases. The Sheriff’s Office has directed jail staff not to release inmates late at night, but some must still be released during those hours because of legal limits on how long they may be held in custody. The Sheriff’s Office has also created a pamphlet on transportation access and how to find resources upon release. This pamphlet is available only upon request and is not provided to everyone.
Based on the latest findings, the Sheriff’s Office has made it clear that eliminating late-night inmate releases is a priority and that it is implementing reforms to achieve that goal. As recently as Nov. 25, 2025, the Sheriff Community Review Commission “placed a Jail Release Procedures discussion item on its agenda to highlight its continued importance to the community.”
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I know a guy who is doing life without parole for a murder that occurred after he was released from the Humboldt County Jail at Mid-night when no services, shelter or transportation was available.
Late night releases are dangerous for the exact reasons stated in this article.
Can you connect the dots as to what this has to do with a late not release? “a murder that occurred” sounds like the murder caused itself.
Not denying that reform of this practice is a good idea.
Based on what I read in this article, it seems the only reason people are released after 11 PM or before 6 AM is because of the release date that depended on when the person was booked into the jail. I can’t see how it is in the interests of justice that the person be kept exactly to the last minute. If a jail sentence is 30 days I see no reason or damage from releasing that person 6 to 12 hours early. Who is harmed?